AUSOM

Group D
Shahzad Safdar 201063
Mohammad Abdullah 201066
Shahzaib Ali 201069
Izaan Qayyum 201065
Uswa Nisar 201067
Habiba Muhammad Farooq 201835
Awais Bilal 201068
Haya Fatima 201884

Department: BS Aviation Management

Subject: Pakistan Studies

Submitted to: Sir Aziz Ullah Kakar

 Assignment 2
Question: Why General Zia-ul-Haq introduced and promoted the Policy of
Islamization? (domestic, regional and global factors)
Answer: Pakistan came into being on the basis of Islam and all the Muslim majority
states of subcontinent joined together to make this country. After 14 th August 1947,
Pakistan had not any official religion and It was declared an Islamic Republic of
Pakistan in the constitution of 1956. The history of Islamization goes back to the
emergence of Pakistan but it became primary policy in 1977 when General Zia-ul-Haq
took over the Government in a military coup.
Mohammed Zia-ul-Haq born on 12 th August 1924 in Jalandhar and got his early
education from Simla. He got his BA degree with distinction from the University of
Delhi in 1943. He was admitted to Royal Indian Military Academy at Dehradun and
graduated from it in 1945. He participated in World War 2 as a British Indian Army
Officer and fought in Burma and Malaya. After creation of Pakistan, he came to
Pakistan and joined Pakistani Army. He fought Indo-Pakistani wars of 1965 and 1971.
Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto appointed Zia-ul-Haq as Chief of Army
Staff in 1976. There were many senior Generals of Pakistani Army who could be
selected as Chief of Army Staff but Zulfiqar Ali Butto selected General Zia-ul-Haq.The
government of Zulfiqar ali bhutto was taken over in a military coup by General Zia-ul-
Haq on 5th July 1977. When General Zia-ul-Haq became the ruler of Pakistan then
Islamization became the central policy for the government.
Zia-ul-Haq wanted to change laws of pakistan and make it according to Nizam-e-
Mustafa which is the rule of the Prophet Muhammad(SAW). Zia also introduced
Shariat laws in the judicial system and established separate Shariat judicial courts.
Judges in these courts judge legal cases using Islamic Laws. New Criminal laws were
added to the Pakistani law which included severe punishment on blasphemy and new
punishments of whipping, amputation and stoining to death. Profit and Loss system of
banking was introduced instead of interest banking and Zakat was also made
compulsory which was 2.5% on the annual income. Un-Islamic material was removed
from books of Schools and libraries. It was made compulsory for every School, Office
and Factory to do a break for offering of prayers. For the continuation of Islamization,
Zia-ul-Haq appointed members of Jamaat-e-Islami on different government posts. In
1984 a referendum was held and according to which those people of Pakistan who
were in favour of Islam should have to vote for Zia-ul-Haq and those people who vote
against Zia-ul-Haq will be against Islam. The Islamization program of Zia-ul-Haq was
approved in the official results of Referendum which were 97.7% in his favour. There
were some people in public who were against these laws and start protesting against
them and in particular Women’s and Human Rights groups were not in favour of
these laws. New law for women included testimony and blood money compensation
which would half that of a man. Zia-ul-Haq came from a religious family which was
also a reason for introducing and promoting the policy of Islamization in Pakistan.